We Make Disciples, Not Just Converts

Well my family heritage is from what you say the country my was born in West Virginia and deliver while yeah I could go to North Carolina and when I hear the song country roads take me home. I still it, Thierry, I remember when I was living out there hear a story about a 911 call that was her see the operator when a picks of the phone.

He hears this just distressed whale on the other than the line where this you know, just mount guys like Weitzen but his dad he is he just where walking in the woods and he grabs his chest and fall to the ground and I was unconscious and not breathing their operator says okay okay sir, lads need you remain as calm as possible. First season we need to confirm that he's dead with in the line goes totally silent and the operator here some scuffling in the allowed shotgun blast and then sky just like on the phone is like okay now what I'm pretty sure this not a true story. Even though Jody Martin insist that it is true. I'm pretty sure is not true, but the point is, is clarity, especially when you're talking about something really really important and important assignment. Clarity is crucial and that's what this series that we are in the last few weeks and and in this one and the next one.

That's what it's about is clarity about who we are as a church where we are going and what we are called to we get each of these four values that we been unpacking. We get them from the life of Jesus and from the example of the apostles. We are on number three a for the first week we explained. If you remember that we prioritize the gospel. Above all, we explored what that means. The second week that we do whatever it takes to reach all people here at the summit church reaching the one always going to take priority over the comforts of the 99 today and explore our third value that is we make disciples not just converts we prioritize the gospel bubble. We do whatever it takes to reach all people, and we make disciples not just converts there are two very clear action steps that I'm going to give you today. One is a very tangible stat that I'm coming to give you in becoming a disciple making disciple like the story that we just saw on that video and the other is is the other action step is going to be for you to get baptized. If you never if you never have been to Matthew 28 if you got your Bible you open it to Matthew 28 if you're at home where you're by yourself or your room gathered all one of her home gatherings, much like the people that are here in front of me if you get a Bible and turn it on or open it up to Matthew 28 Matthew 28 is the last chapter in the first book of the New Testament verse 19 records for us. Jesus's last words to his disciples before he ascended his last words were go into all the world and make disciples. The underlying stuff in your Bible. The only thing I would underline their is make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father of the son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And behold, I'm with you always, to the end of the age now in English. There are several verbs in that sentence go make disciples, baptize, teach, but in Greek you were reading in Greek, there is only one verb that only verb is make disciples of all the other words that we translate as verbs are actually participles, which means they modify the verb, the verb is the simple thing the other things are extensions of the verb or applications of the verb make disciples is the central verb of the great commission.

Everything else that we do going teaching, baptizing everything else is an extension of that for everything else. The church does make disciples is the center. It is the core. I think I first learned this from a book that I read in college. It was written in 1962 is a classic book and you know that the definition of a classic book is a book that everybody's heard about and nobody's read. This is a classic book.

I would actually highly encourage you to read. It's called the master plan of evangelism. It was written by guy name Robert Coleman in that book. What Coleman says is this lesson.

The great commission is not merely to go to the ends of the earth preaching the gospel, nor to baptize a lot of converts to teach them the precepts of Christ but to make disciples to build men and women like themselves who were so constrained by the commission of Christ that they not only follow Jesus themselves, but Mrs. Keeler this led others to follow him. Also the criteria upon which any church should measure its success is not how many new names are added to the role nor how much the budget is increased, but rather how many Christians are actively winning souls and training them to win the multitudes.

Most churches judge their success by how many at 10, or about how many decisions are baptisms at the But heaven does not celebrate any of those numbers. It only celebrates disciples once asked two questions today. Questionable one is what is a disciple and second, what is my role. What is your role in the disciple making process.

We see there. Matthew 28 1920 okay first question what is a disciple. What is a disciple. If you been in church.

You probably recognize the word disciple but but otherwise it's not super common in our culture unless you spent time in a Christian circle like this one. If one of his words it Christians used by very few other people actually do. In fact, here's how I knew that every single time I try to type discipling into a document Word document or some of my computer and always auto corrects it to discipline so clearly Steve Jobs didn't get it. It is not super common you thinking of it like making disciples what is that mean the world we translate as disciple comes from the Hebrew word, tell me which was quite common word in the first century tell me was was kind of like a student. You might think of it like that but much more than a student aspiring Jewish religious and community leaders would would find a rabbi find a teacher and as somebody that they wanted to be like and and and and who's because they believed in and you would go and sit at that rabbi's feet sitting at their feet was like your application to learn from them. They would examine you they would ply you with questions that would watch your life and if they thought that you could make a worthy towel need a worthy disciple, then it is somebody who could carry on their cause, they would allow you to follow them and you would follow them for the next several years imitating their every move that write this down if you're taking notes. A disciple did not merely want to know what his master new disciple wanted to do what his master did some rave, underline, who is a New Testament scholar and supposedly he says the highest compliment that you could give to up a towel meter. A disciple was to say to them in the first century, the dust of your rabbi is all over you, and I wasn't there like him and you need to go take a bath or a shower saying that you were following his footsteps so closely that whatever your rabbi stepped in was was splashing up on you.

So again, a disciple did not merely want to know what his master new disciple wanted to do what his master did a disciple of Jesus is not somebody who simply wants to know what Jesus taught is important is that is a disciple of Jesus also wants to do what Jesus did live as Jesus lived in the book of acts, the verb make disciples is used to describe the initial act of helping somebody come to know Jesus, which happens in a moment, and it's also used, to describe the act of helping someone in the lifelong process of becoming more like Jesus process.

It takes a lifetime.

Now, in a moment I'm in a breakdown that lifelong process of becoming more like Jesus said in the five components, but first let's actually look at her second question, what is a disciple number one, here's number two.

Number two is what is my role in the disciple making process this commission to make disciples called the great commission was given to every Christian is not a special assignment for a few it was a central calling for every follower of Jesus in Titus two Paul commands the older women to train young women in second Timothy two Paul tells Timothy to train faithful men in his congregation so that they can train others. Also in Ephesians 6, Paul tells fathers to train their children in the ways of God. In Matthew 28. The key I commands missionaries tended to make disciples of all the nations in Hebrews 3. The writer commands all Christians to exhort each other in the build each other up every single day.

Peter and Paul in their letters command every Christian to use their gifts to build up and serve others in the body of Christ, the great commission applies to everyone. There is no such thing as a non-reproducing Christian Meg Jesus said 9419 follow me and I will make you a fisher of men. Which means if you're really following Jesus is making you into that. John 15 eight Jesus said by this is my father glorify, that you bear much fruit and so what this proved to be my disciples.

That how do you prove that your disciple by bearing fruit in this area as well as others in the Christian life and implication is if you're not bearing fruit and you have reason to question whether or not your disciple at all, is living organisms reproduce again.

Robert Coleman Baron Christian is a contradiction. A tree is known by its fruit frivolous mess was the thing lacking in the lives of the Sadducees and Pharisees at the group of people, by the way the first century that had this very fervent outward form of religion but but no internal reality, and that made them so wretched in his sight, Coleman said I Jesus said that the Sadducees and Pharisees, as you're so fervent your religion. You you pass every Orthodox � you know all the doctrines but you don't reproduce faith in God and love for him and other people a movement of disciple making disciples was God's plan for reaching the world that you get that right is plan his plan for reaching the world is not big ministries with super talented preachers but but ordinary Christians filled with the spirit making disciples one by one. Everywhere they went. You you each of you are God's method Robert: when will the church learn this lesson.

Preaching to the masses.

All the necessary will never suffice in the work of preparing leaders for evangelism Norton occasional prayer meetings and training classes for Christian workers do the job.

Individual men and women are God's method God's plan for discipleship is not some theme, but some one right everybody right now, .1 of the person around you just going to them as a you you are God's method. I point yourself. I I am God's method. Now I know what you're saying you like me. What can I do.

I don't know that much about the Bible and not super talented I'm not even really an extrovert.

I get awkward talking to people. It doesn't matter. Jesus said it was not about your natural ability is. It was really about your availability to be used by the Holy Spirit that's in the great commission to go with you and I want to do this three that one of my favorite promises that Matthew makes earlier, Jesus makes in the book of Matthew earlier is Matthew 11 and Jesus said he said he of all those born among women, which pretty much everybody there's never been anybody that has been quite as talented in ministry is following you notice the Bible trivia question. Who was Jesus's favorite all-time preacher right was a starter J rounds with John the Baptist, but I guess it is right John the Baptist excellent yes John the Baptist was Jesus's favorite preacher, a podcast John the Baptist. He loved him about WWJ TBD what was on that is the edit all day. He says he says none ever born to women is greater than John the Baptist. But I tell you surely the one who is least in my kingdom is John the Baptist now whispers what was least in my kingdom me well mean you have the least offer right your lease talented. You have the least contagious personality know the least about the Bible. You're the least charismatic and we, whatever. He reported that when you're least in the kingdom of heaven right somebody sitting in front of me of the least of the kingdom of heaven in this room. I'm not same as me mean much on you to identify some I got mathematically that has to be true somebody you know something of the bottom in your your center thing.

Or maybe it's me right.

Maybe God, heaven is like Yep you're lucky that you your the bottom of the bow, even if that were true, right, even if that were true, you have more potential in ministry than John the Baptist to see that something that John never had and that is you've got the fullness of the Spirit in you and you got the promise of Jesus and and and the news of the resurrection of what Jesus said is is in my kingdom the one who is is least is still the greatest because of the power the spirit and what the spirit can do through them is no longer about your ability no longer about how you preacher your personality or how smart, talented you are simply you saying yes Lord yes Lord, I'm ready to be used only for the spirit to use me to make a disciple listen, this is the primary need of the hour. Kevin is who is the president of the North America mission will miss more, which is the largest church planting organization of the world. It's the organization for whom we plant almost all of our domestic churches.

He says that their greatest need. Right now, get this, the greatest is not money raising the money it's qualified planters. He said of course you know of course we need money I mean mission board. Always the more money is able right now we have more money than we do qualified planters and church leaders and the reason that we are short of planters and church leaders, he says, is that we have neglected discipleship. We got to like our main scorecard is getting people in the door, getting them baptized and that's important. But Jesus has called us to disciple them to turn them into spiritual leaders that are able to reproduce themselves in the lives of others you listen at the church got good at discipleship than church growth and church planting would take care themselves listen Summit family and and and friends and told you this before, but this is very personal to me because because my data just got a new job in a in a new city in the transfer. There they heard about this exciting church that everybody was hard to go to my mom and dad when and basically God made their faith come alive.

They were saved and baptized in and was exciting, but thankfully this pastor didn't just you know counter decision to baptize a woman reporter number somewhere, but that pastor to cover special interest to my dad and he made my dad part of his life on the EE turn my dad into a spiritual giant who became the godly is man that I knew who in turn poured into me and now I'm pouring into you and were now church of what 12,000+ in the triangle because a man poured into my dad because he wasn't satisfied to let my mom and dad merely come in and make a decision to get turned in as a number, but he knew that he needed to train them up as a leader so that that that leader could train others. Recently that pastor went home to be with Jesus and my dad and I drove down to Georgia for his funeral and my dad was on the way down there. Just me and him. He said you know I cannot remember how he sizzles most was that the most life-changing season of my life. I can't remember hardly any of the sermons that that man preached, but I remember hearing him pray. I remember watching him share Christ with the lady in the grocery store I remember hearing him counsel somebody in pain never watching him as he went to pay and claim the promises of God observing his life impacted me far more than anything I ever heard him speak or teach. I this is your role, you may not all be able to teach like me, but you can invite somebody into your life to observe your walk with Jesus to show them how to follow Jesus like you follow him. Bottom line Summit Summit church if were going to be a movement, we can't just reach new people, we gotta turn them into disciples not just disciples into disciple making disciples Summit reaching new people has always come really naturally to us, but this also not as natural mats, partially mindful we focus a lot on reaching here a lot of growing wide, but not as much a growing date often say that were like the middle school and middle school boy who grew 5 inches over the course of one summer which is awesome but none of his close kidneys.

All ganglia need to put some meat on the scrawny little bones, where we are as a church now is one of the reasons that while I hate lockdown and hate not be able to gather as one large family. I am grateful that it's giving us new opportunities to raise up disciple making leaders and home gatherings and smaller intentional relationships. Listen we are so thankful for those of you who are our current leaders, especially our new leaders who jumped in and try to figure out a in a new context without a lot of answers. By the way some of you have been healing for a while. This call to lead in some capacity and you just been putting it off. Don't jump in right now is the time.

This is a time to become a part of a movement of disciple making disciples today. This we can really introduce a tool to our small groups that will help all of us not only be a disciple make a disciple is a study called groundwork so we been working on it for a long time.

It uses the Bible to walk through the five core identities of what it means to be a disciple. This is what Jesus was referring to when he said teach them to observe all things that I've commanded about maybe seeing one of these in the these magnets here because it has these five identities on their person is worship a disciple seeks to know love and obey God above all else, one my favorite devotional writers. His name is Chris T.

Great pace is worship is not part of the Christian life worship is the Christian life because everything starts with worship and flows out to worship the great commandment is that we love the Lord our God with all her heart, soul and mind. A true disciple is first and foremost worship at the Summit church.

The Summit church, we see two important disciplines that go along with that one is a commitment to regular corporate worship with others.

What we do together on the weekend and the other is personal worship like and what we call a daily quiet time and time where were you meet with God in his word and prayer. This study groundwork will help you in developing both of this.

Here's a second identity is family member I disciple is a family member who is actively committed to our aspiring multiethnic family. A disciple is not just a believer disciples also belong the church would often say here is not just in the menu should attend. It's a community it's a family that you're supposed to belong to a family whose connection should be even closer to us than our biological families true disciple is a family member, you can be a family member. If you only moonlight in the weekender you dial into a few podcasts I disciple not only believes disciple belongs third identity.

A disciple is a servant, a servant disciple gladly gives of themselves for the good of others. I disciple is one who is taken on Jesus's posture of service of the world's example 5. In his washing the disciples feet. Jesus on that occasion when he washed the disciples feet told them that if he who had all power in Jesus, who had all power use that power to serve the nation use whatever power, position privilege, they add also to serve for a true disciple. Their whole life is to be characterized by by service number four Ford identity here is skewered sewer a disciple manages God's gifts from God's purposes, I disciple realizes that anything he or she has, ultimately, is given by God, not for our own purposes are given to us for God's purposes and monies not euro your time and your talents and your treasures are not your own. You gave them to you for a reason and that reason was to serve his kingdom. If you're disciple there will have been a point in your life are you said got all these things I have are yours, how you want them to be used for for for your purposes, just like Jesus. Life was characterized by generosity just like it was characterized for his life for others. That's what your life will be characterized by last one witness I disciple proclaims Christ in word and deed. Each disciple recognizes that it is his or her responsibility to make disciples for Jesus.

Matthew 419. Again Jesus and follow me make you fishermen.

That means when you accepted the call to follow Jesus, you accepted the call to bring people to Jesus, there's no such thing as somebody who is following Jesus. Sincerely and not actively attempting to bring others to him. We try to make this really practical by asking all of you to have a one that's what was a Hoosier one Hoosier one at least one person that you're praying for trying to build a relationship with true reaching out to an end trying to point them to Jesus. You know your oneness when I see Hoosier one is a person coming to your mind. If not, why not ask God to reveal to you who he wants that to be go to Summit church.com/1 the day you get some resources for start that relationship are or how to take it to the next level. Right. That's the essence. Those five identities of the essence what it means to be a disciple and a make a disciple means you train somebody in those five identities told that I mentioned earlier called groundwork's is designed to help you go deep in these identities and maybe even I could say more importantly to take two or three other people along with you. Now, preferably those that have a right within your small group. But the point is you is not doing it by yourself. We would love to see all of our members go through this with all through this this fall with somebody else eager to Summit church.com/groundwork's if there is a free place that you can download it is very very simple, easy to get started and also have instructions there about how you can get connected to a group if you're not in one or how to pick somebody from your your work, your neighborhood. I'm even a family member. The point is, you just don't want to go through it by yourself.

Also find some videos on there that that have some stories of people who abuse this and how it's been helpful. Okay, so again the third value is that we are committed to making disciples not just converts because this is the essence of the great commission. So I have three really quick practical questions for you today.

Number 11. Are you actually a disciple, an actual disciple limited. What I'm worried about is your pastor. Honestly, I'm not worried that most of you are to become raging atheists were that many of you will never really become an actual disciple of Jesus. If I were to ask you, are you a Christian, you might say will yeah meaning I'm an atheist. I nodded a Jew or a Muslim. But if I were to then ask you, are you are you a disciple. Are you a fully committed disciple. You might hesitate because you know disciple means more than just what you believe disciple is somebody, not merely seeking to believe what Jesus teaches, but but somebody committed to living like Jesus lift you know you know the first Christians did not call themselves Christians, you're the call themselves great Christians was a name that was attached to them.

Actually it was a pejorative.

It was a name that was like an attack. Acts 1126 tells you that in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians were called means it was passive.

They call themselves that the first Christians and call themselves Christians.

It was a derogatory driver name that meant little Christ order the call themselves, we consider it there and ask get you the call themselves disciples that the word Christian is only used three times in the entire New Testament door disciple was used to hundred 81.is also what what here's what in changing the word that we use to describe ourselves. I would suggest that we lost the clarity that the word disciple conveyed about what a follower of Jesus actually is. We use the word Christian and obscure the fact that a lot of people who call themselves Christians today are not actual disciples what people say well I'm a Christian because I believe in God to mount a Buddhist or a Muslim, but have you surrendered your life to be like Jesus to live like Jesus. There is no such thing biblically as a Christian who is not a devoted disciple so you can understand why my question is not, are you a Christian. But my question is are you a disciple be honest right now. Would you say yeah I'm a Christian, but not really of a full disciple yet Jesus talks about a large group of people. Y'all going alas they are to say to him, Lord, Lord, that we do lots of stuff in church and all kinds of doctrine and get involved in ministering.

A lot of church services and he'll say depart for me. I never knew you never knew you, you who I was young at my house on the weekends but I never knew you. He is talking there to Christians who aren't disciples are you a disciple. If not, you don't belong to Jesus. But the good news is that you can become one today for a simple act of surrender. Jesus didn't say prove yourself to me and I will you be my disciple. He just says receive me turn over your life to me and and I'll make you my disciple right now where you are. You could bow your head and surrender your heart to Jesus and surrender to him as Lord, receive him as Savior. The second question, have you been baptized in the first part of following Jesus. You can see whether the great commission make disciples and baptize them. So most people say that like whelming buses got the new I can still obey Jesus and you know keep most of the commandments and always want to say like why would you start your walk with Jesus telling him which of his commands you think are important which ones are. He said be this baptize as a way of telling other people and that's a good manager serious walk with him than you should obey it so nothing will say why do baptize and I was a kid, I was on the say listen, that's great. I'm so glad your parents did that you have for you and and and really expressing that they wanted you brought follow Jesus, but in the New Testament. Baptism is always your own decision. It's always a decision that you make sure your faith.

We baptizes a baby whose faith three showing showing your parents faith in praise God for their faith.

Right now you need to show your own you to make a choice to be baptized.

I say well it's weird because a covert hidden all this kind of stuff. I understand this things but water that we use will be very chlorinated and you a very safe, I promise I will actually have got it at our campuses and outdoor baptism service coming up and I and so if you would like to to to to have that conversation about whether you should get baptized, you know, the baptizer, yet questions are what you text that's about right now I don't you text baptism be a PT ISM 233933 text baptism.

The 33933 when you do that you get an auto response to the form that will put you right in touch with our campus teams to help you take your next steps in getting baptized, by the way, even if you're not in the Raleigh-Durham area right we got a next step for you right is there's a team that helped get you connect with a local church in your area. Thus, my second question is are you baptized, not text baptism. The 33933, number three. Are you a disciple maker. Are you intentionally bringing somebody else along as a disciple it matter if your new Christian earth are still growing yourself. Every disciple of Jesus can be a disciple maker. Every Christian is born, to reproduce, maybe you're just realizing this for the first time and maybe maybe you're ready now to take a first step. I don't feel beat up about this to start today EEE you understand something I didn't understand. Earlier in your ready to start obeying Jesus here. We try to make it really easy for you to get started by giving you this groundwork study the take somebody else through against some@church.com/groundwork. This can be the beginning of a whole new disciple making lifestyle.

A life that impacts others for eternity, a life that that that makes an eternal contribution something you will never forget you wanted to go to summer church.com/groundwork today and pray about, one, two or three people that you can begin to to go through this with as you grow in your identities of obey Jesus and all that he commanded Summit family make disciples not just converts let's recommit ourselves to this task of discipleship. Let's pray together but I pray for those I pray for those who surrender their heart to Jesus just a few moments ago for the first time, but they never actually been real disciple and and in this moment they're becoming one got printed never been anything the rim baptize God that they would take that step of texting baptism.

The 33933 and asking God to raise up all kinds of people from out of our congregation. It would be disciple making disciples who would take on this responsibility in this commission as their own. Because this is your plan for growing the church God will raise up a generation of leaders here from our congregation who own this part of the ministry and will transform the triangle in the world and their families. As I got a Jesus name, amen